The world of news is complex - and false stories and images are often widely shared on social media. Blasting News’s editorial team spots the most popular hoaxes and misleading information every week to help you discern truth from falsehood. Here are some of the most shared false claims of this week, of which none are legit.

USA

Video falsely claims Moderna COVID-19 vaccine contains ingredient that can cause cancer

Facts: Video shared on TikTok and Instagram claims that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine contains an ingredient that can cause cancer, infertility and fetal malformation.

Truth: In the video, the narrator searches for information about the COVID-19 vaccine and shows viewers a product called SM-102, the same name as one of the ingredients in Moderna's vaccine.

The video then presents a Safety Data Sheet for SM-102, available on the website of Michigan-based biotechnology company Cayman Chemical, and cites some health warnings featured in the document, such as “suspected of causing cancer” and “suspected of damaging fertility or the unborn child,” to suggest that the product is dangerous. The warning, however, concerns the chloroform present in SM-102 manufactured by Cayman Chemical. Data from U.S. and European regulatory agencies, however, show that the SM-102 present in Moderna's vaccine does not contain chloroform in its composition.

USA

Bill Gates is not transitioning from man to woman

Facts: Video shared on Twitter shows billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates walking down the street apparently with female breasts. The posts claim that the Microsoft founder allegedly had gotten breast implants and started transitioning from man to woman.

Truth: The video posted on social media was doctored to make it look like Bill Gates has female breasts.

A reverse image search shows that the original footage comes from the entertainment website Gossip Bae and shows Gates walking in New York City. The rumor comes amid the recent announcement that Bill and Melinda Gates are getting divorced after a 27-year marriage.

World

Lead singer of Eurovision winners Måneskin did not take drugs during the grand final

Facts: Posts shared on social media claim that Damiano David, lead singer of the Italian punk rock band Måneskin, winner of the 2021 edition of the Eurovision music competition, used cocaine live during the broadcast of the grand final last Saturday, May 22.

Truth: After the claim went viral on social media, and many people asked for Måneskin to be disqualified, Damiano volunteered to take a drug test. On Monday (24), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the contest, announced that Damiano’s test was negative. As for the images that supposedly show him consuming the drug, Damiano claims that at the moment of the recording he was just cleaning a broken glass under the table.

Spain

It is false that people vaccinated against COVID-19 cannot donate blood because the vaccine “destroy their natural antibodies”

Facts: Posts shared on Facebook and Twitter claim that the American Red Cross has issued a statement saying that people vaccinated against COVID-19 cannot donate blood because the vaccines "completely destroy their natural antibodies."

Truth: The claim is false and is based on American Red Cross statements taken out of context.

On its website, the Red Cross states that people vaccinated against COVID-19 cannot donate convalescent plasma, which has been used as an experimental treatment for severe cases of COVID-19. The American Red Cross, however, reports that people who have received the Covid-19 vaccine can donate blood, provided they have no symptoms or fever.

Brazil

It is false that Biden has resumed the construction of the wall on the U.S.-Mexico border

Facts: Posts shared on Facebook claim that U.S.

President Joe Biden has resumed construction of the wall on the border with Mexico, a project started by his predecessor, Donald Trump, and the subject of much criticism. “Is Biden a racist too? After migration crisis, Biden resumes construction of Trump's wall,” reads the caption of some of the posts.

Truth: Contrary to what the posts claim, the Democrat did not order the resumption of the wall's construction. On January 20, shortly after taking office as U.S. President, Biden signed an executive order halting the construction of the border wall, and there is no record that Biden has changed this decision recently.

Latin America

Israel's Moshe Aviv Tower not bombed by Hamas

Facts: Image shared on Facebook claims to show the Moshe Aviv Tower, Israel's tallest skyscraper, on fire after being hit by missiles from the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.

The caption of the posts states that the tower in Ramat Gan, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, would be the place “where leaders gather for the organization of aggression against Palestine.”

Truth: A reverse image search shows that the photo shared on social media was digitally manipulated from a photo posted on the website of the Phoenicia glass company, whose projects include the Moshe Aviv Tower. There is no record that the building was hit by Hamas' recent attacks on Israeli territory.
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